State, or by any person under him, or on behalf of any such Post Office.

10. This Act may be cited as "The Mail-ships Act, 1891.”

SCHEDULE.

British Possessions to which Act is applicable only upon the Government

ACT of the British Parliament, to amend the Law relating to the Salaries and Fees of Consular Officers.

[54 & 55 Vict., c. 36.] [July 21, 1891.] Be it enacted by the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

1.-(1.) There may be granted to a Consular officer, out of money provided by Parliament, such remuneration and allowance for expenses as may from time to time be fixed by a Secretary of State with the approval of the Treasury.

(2.) Such remuneration and allowance shall be received by a Consular officer so long only as he actually discharges the duties of his office provided that if a Consular officer is absent from his post with the sanction of the Secretary of State, he may receive the whole or such part of the remuneration or allowance accruing during his leave of absence as the Secretary of State with the approval of the Treasury may by regulation direct.

2.-(1.) It shall be lawful for Her Majesty the Queen, by Order in Council, to fix the fees to be taken in respect of any matter or thing done by a Consular officer in the execution of his office, and to vary such fees by way of increase or decrease, and to abolish fees, and to create new fees.

(2.) All such fees shall be levied, accounted for, and applied, and may be remitted, in accordance with regulations issued by the Secretary of State with the approval of the Treasury.

(3.) A Consular officer shall not, save as may be provided by any Order in Council under this Act, ask for or take any fee or reward. for or on account of any act, thing, or service done, performed, or

rendered by him in the execution of his office, and if he does, he shall, without prejudice to any other liability, be liable for each offence to a fine not exceeding 1007., recoverable in the High Court, by information on the part of Her Majesty's Attorney-General.

(4.) Tables of the fees which may, for the time being, be taken under any Order in Council issued in pursuance of this Act shall be published and exhibited in a conspicuous manner for the inspection. of all persons at the custom-houses of the United Kingdom; and a printed copy thereof shall be given by every chief officer of customs, at a port of the United Kingdom, gratuitously to every master of a Vessel clearing out of that port who requests the same.

(5.) Every Consular officer shall hang up and exhibit in a conspicuous place in his Consular office a copy of the Table of fees to be taken under any Order in Courcil issued in pursuance of this Act, and shall permit the same to be inspected by any person interested therein.

3. In this Act the expression "Consular officer" includes Consul-General, Consul, Vice-Consul, Consular Agent, Pro-Consul, and any person for the time being authorized to perform the duties of Consul-General, Consul, Vice-Consul, or Consular Agent.

4. The Act mentioned in the Schedule to this Act is hereby repealed to the extent in the third column of that Schedule neutioned.

Provided that any Order in Council issued under any enactment repealed by this Act, and in force at the commencement of this Act, shall continue in force as if it had been issued in pursuance of this Act.

5. This Act may be cited as "The Consular Salaries and Fees Act, 1891."

ACT of the British Parliament, to carry into effect an International Declaration respecting the North Sea Fisheries, and to amend the Law relating to Sea Fisheries and Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries.

[54 & 55 Vict., c. 37.]

[July 21, 1891.]

BE it enacted by the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows :—

PART I.—Belgian Declaration and Sea Fisheries Act, 1883.

1. The Declaration set out in the Schedule to this Act (hereinafter referred to as the Scheduled Declaration) is hereby confirmed, and the Articles thereof shall be of the same force as if they were enacted in the body of this Act.

2. (1.) Any Commission appointed by the Board of Trade in pursuance of Article 1 of the Scheduled Declaration shall, for the purpose of its duties, have the same powers as an Inspector appointed by the Board of Trade in pursuance of section 14 of " The Merchant Shipping Act, 1854,"* and sections 15 and 16 of that Act shall apply as if the Commission were such an Inspector.

(2.) Any such Commission may take security, in such form as the Board of Trade may by rule prescribe, for the attendance of a witness before a Court of Justice in Belgium, and any sum which may become due in pursuance of such a security may be recovered in like manner as a sum due in pursuance of a security given under "The Summary Jurisdiction Act, 1879."

3. A document purporting to be certified by a Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Board of Trade to be a report made or certificate given in pursuance of Article 3 of the Scheduled Declaration shall be deemed to be such a report or certificate, and to have been duly forwarded.

4. If, either within or without the exclusive fishery limits of the British Islands, any person belonging to a British sea fishing-boat acts in contravention of Article 4 of the Scheduled Declaration, he shall be liable to the like penalty as for a contravention of Articles XIII to XXII of the First Schedule to "The Sea Fisheries Act, 1883."†

Provided that if the Scheduled Declaration ceases to be binding on Her Majesty, this section shall cease to apply in the case of

* Vol. XLV, page 1347.

International Convention of May 6, 1882, respecting the North Sea Fisheries. Vol. LXXIII, page 39.

injuries to the gear or boat of a fisherman being a subject of the foreign State party to the Declaration, but shall nevertheless continue to apply as between British subjects.

5. In the event of any contravention of section 7 of "The Sea Fisheries Act, 1883,"* on the part of any foreign sea fishing-boat, or of any person belonging thereto, any fish or fishing gear found in the boat or shown to have been taken or used by any person belonging to the boat within the exclusive fishery limits of the British Islands shall, on conviction for the offence, be liable to be forfeited.

6.-(1.) This Part of this Act shall be construed as one with The Sea Fisheries Act, 1883," and so far as relates to Scotland and the parts of the sea adjoining Scotland, also as one with "The Sea Fisheries (Scotland) Amendment Act, 1885."

(2.) In particular, the powers of making Orders in Council conferred by sections 3 and 23 of "The Sea Fisheries Act, 1883," may be exercised for the purposes of this Part of this Act, and section 23 of the said Act shall, for the purpose of any such Order, apply as if the Schedule to this Act were the First Schedule to that Act, and the Declaration referred to in this Act were the Convention referred to in that Act.

(3.) "The Sea Fisheries Act, 1883," "The Sea Fisheries (Scotland) Amendment Act, 1885," and this Part of this Act may be cited collectively as "The Sea Fisheries Acts, 1883 to 1891."

(4.) This Part of this Act shall come into force on such day as may be fixed in that behalf by a notice published in the "London Gazette."+

PART II.--Sea Fisheries Regulation Act, 1888.

7. The powers of a local Fisheries Committee to make bye-laws in pursuance of section 2 of "The Sea Fisheries Regulation Act, 1888," shall extend to making bye-laws, to be observed within their district, for restricting or prohibiting, either entirely or subject to any exceptions and regulations, the fishing for or taking of all or any specified kinds of sea fish during any period specified in any such bye-law.

8. Where any offence under "The Sea Fisheries Regulation Act, 1888," or under any bye-law made in pursuance thereof, is committed on the sea-coast or at sea beyond the ordinary jurisdiction of a Court of summary jurisdiction and not on or from a ship or boat,

• Vol. LXXIV, page 199.

A Notification was inserted in the "London Gazette" of September 8, 1591, stating that the day fixed for Part I of the Act to come into force was the 15th day of September, 1891.

it shall be deemed to have been committed within the body of any county abutting on that sea-coast or adjoining that sea, and may be tried and punished accordingly.

9. A local Fisheries Committee appointed in pursuance of "The Sea Fisheries Regulation Act, 1888," may, within their district, enforce the provisions of "The Fisheries (Oyster, Crab, and Lobster) Act, 1877," and of any other Aci relating to sea fisheries.

10. Any County or Borough Council may, if they think fit, pay or contribute to any expenses incurred by a Board of Salmon Conservators in exercise of their powers under "The Sea Fisheries Regulation Act, 1888."

11. This Part of this Act shall be construed as one with "The Sea Fisheries Regulation Act, 1888," and that Act and this Part of this Act may be cited collectively as "The Sea Fisheries Regulation Acts, 1888 and 1891."

PART III.-Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries.

12.-(1.) The Board of Trade may, if they think fit, issue a certificate forming a fishery district for the River Stour (dividing the counties of Suffolk and Essex), its estuary, and its tributaries, and such waters and coasts as may be declared in the certificate to belong thereto, and may thereby fix the number of conservators to be appointed as a Board, and the number of the members of the Board of Conservators to be appointed by each county in the district, and may make such other arrangements as may seem to the Board necessary or proper in connection with the formation of the district.

(2.) On the issue of a certificate under this section the provisions of "The Norfolk and Suffolk Fisheries Act, 1877," and of section 8 of "The Freshwater Fisheries Act, 1884," shall cease to apply within the district formed by the certificate, and the provisions of "The Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Acts, 1861 to 1886," shall apply therein as if no part of the district were included in the county of Suffolk, and the district so formed shall for all purposes be deemed to be a district formed under the provisions of the said Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Acts other than "The Norfolk and Suffolk Fisheries Act, 1877."

(3.) On the issue of the certificate, the certificates of the formation of the Stour (Essex) and Stour (Suffolk) fishery districts, dated the 19th day of March, 1888, shall cease to have effect, so, however, that nothing in this section shall affect the validity of anything done or suffered under the certificates, and that all proceedings under the

* Vol. LXVIII, page 727.